Dark Destiny
by StarofSpira
Summary: This story is set 500 years before the events of Final Fantasy X. It tells the story of another summoner, Zaon  not Lord Zaon  set on defeating sin. It will be a tough journey and have a tragic end with lots of love and adventure. My first fanfic XD.


Prologue

_Dear Diary,_

_Oto, I keep this diary for you. You insisted I keep a record of my travels... but it has become more than just a way to shut you up. The more I write, the more it becomes a window to my soul, a friend I can confide in, and a place in which I can divulge my wickedest thoughts..._

_It's just as well as you will never read this now. _

_I'm at Zanarkand Ruins, a place of dark beauty and forgotten souls. I don't know what I expected to find when I finally reached here, the only place in Spira I haven't been, closer to Yevon perhaps. Maybe I thought that by being touched by such a holy place I myself would become a better person._

_Zaon is so scared. He does not even bother to hide it anymore. He is sitting right in front of me, shivering as if we were on the mountains of Gagazet still. Meeting lady Yunalesca has changed everything, Oto, we can barely accept losing one of our team but two..._

_Kairi is crying. I wish I could cry like her. Even though a sadness wells up inside me my eyes remain dry and so I stare at her in envy. _

_The Old man is nodding at me. I understand. Shit... I hope Zaon has made his decision._

_It's time..._

Chapter One

Months Earlier...

"I thought you said you had the place written down. The last thing I want to do is trek through Luca at the height of Blitzball season."

"You shut it! I know where I'm going."

But Darnell didn't know where he was going. He could barely breathe as he shuffled through the crowds of eager Blitzball fans. And his heavy robes weren't helping either. He felt like he was suffocating in the layers of mass material. His brown skin was sweating buckets, running down his bold head and into his eyes already burning with the chaos that was Luca. He looked over at his accomplice and gave a small smile. At least he was suffering too. The boy was yet to get used to his summoner clothes. He kept fidgeting with his high neck collar. The boy was of a paler complexion than Darnell and the heat was making his white skin flush red.

"Stop fidgeting with that! You have to look the part even if you don't have the mind for it," Darnell gave the boy a poke. "Eh, Zaon? We have to fool your new guardians that you are a mature worldly summoner as long as we can."

"Not funny, Darnell." Zaon said, screwing up his face.

Darnell let out a throaty laugh. Once he had had his fun he went back to trying to find his way again. He couldn't see a thing through the mass of people. Swearing under his breath, he got up on his toes to try and peer over the crowd.

Zaon smiled, right in front of Darnell was a huge warrior Ronso who already looked annoyed by the busyness of Luca. Darnell was on his tip toes, one slight push and...

"Watch it! The ronso barked, turning around fiercely, its blue body much huger than Darnell's tiny frame.

"Sorry, dear sir, sorry, sorry, sorry," Darnell said, raising his hands in apology.

The ronso sniffed before turning back and disappearing off into the crowds. Darnell gave a sigh of relief but frowned when he heard Zaon's high pitched laughter behind him.

"You...! You...!" Darnell said struggling to find the right words.

"You want me to give you some tissue?"

"What? Tissue? What are you on about?" Darnell said, one eyebrow rose in suspicion.

"To wipe your ass with because you were shitting yourself!" Zaon screeched, then he grabbed his stomach as if he was afraid his laughing would make his intestines fall out.

Darnell was about to slap Zaon across the face when he saw the crowd starting to thin. They had made it to the city centre where a huge fountain was spraying water. Children delighting in the sprinkles while their parents bought food, balloons and ice scream from the stalls.

"Here we are, Zaon, I told you we'd get there!" Darnell said smiling upwards. "Zaon?"

But Zaon was long gone. He was already at the stalls.

**...**

"You said we'd get our money today!"

"I know but there has been a slight problem—"

"I don't care, the money now or your life instead."

Shenin stared around her. She was trapped. Majorium's guys were all around her. She couldn't fight her way out either, Majorium had her sword in his slimy hands. If she screamed no one would hear her. No one who would help her anyway. She was in the depths of Luca's backstreets. The areas that the tourists and the maesters never get to see. She liked to call it Shadow Luca, a place where the poor whose homes were destroyed by Sin came to live. The sadness and mourning of the place seemed to physically shroud the place in mist. There was no blitzball, no fun here, just fiends of the unsent but she couldn't think about that now. She had to get her weapon back.

"If you kill me, you won't be able to get your money," Shenin said desperately.

"The Guado wench has a point," one of Majorium's men barked in a throaty voice. "She has a point boss."

Majorium played this over in his head. The toothpick in his mouth sliding over his cracked lips.

"There might be a way to get your money," Shenin said interrupting his thoughts.

"Hmm?" Majorium grunted, the toothpick falling from his mouth. He fished in his pocket for another and placed it on his lips.

"Do you have a stash in there?" Shenin said disgustedly. "Anyway, there's a way to get your money. The sword!"

"The sword?" Majorium said looking down at the rusty long sword in his hands. "This thing will cough up 5 gillers?"

"I know it doesn't look much but look at the symbols on it. The writing is old, it's actually an ancient guado language, written by the guados of old." Shenin said in her most convincing tone.

"So it's special then?" Majorium said, peering down at the sword.

"Yes, I'll go into the city and sell it, I know a buyer, Gurra is his name, a real pervert he is, a bit of female charm and I can maybe get 10, 000 gil."

"You... using female charm?" Majorium stared at Shenin's scruffy blue shoulder length hair. Her baggy trousers and rough waistcoat.

"She's hardly a beauty, boss. This Gurra man is hardly going to go gawk at her manly trousers." One of Majorium's men said.

"Unless he likes guys of course," sniggered another.

Shenin took s sharp gulf of air to stop herself from clawing that man's eyes out.

"I told you, he's a pervert." Shenin said, once she had calmed herself. "Give me the sword and you will get your money."

"I guess we have no choice. Ten minutes. If I found you've been messing me around, I'll chop you up and package you back to Guadosalam!"

**...**

He wasn't a bad old guy. He just liked a drink every now and then. It's just sometimes he had to borrow other people's money to acquire it. Yes he had to tie people up sometimes but then that's life. Some people get tied up and robbed and others get to drink.

"You let me down, do you understand? I have somewhere I have to be! I have to meet the summoner. I'm a guardian! He needs me."

"Not as much as I need a drink."

The old man looked up at the young man he had swinging like a pendulum from the ceiling. He was starting to wonder whether it had been worth the whole 24 hours it took to execute the kidnapping.

"My name is Jaques and I'm a son of very important people. You'll pay for this!" The swinging man shouted.

The old man cast a tentative look at the door, the innkeeper would soon come bursting in if the stupid idiot kept up that racket.

"Just tell me where your gil is? Have you enchanted it?" The old man said poking Jaques in the stomach.

"Even if I had gil, I wouldn't tell you about it. Let me down, the summoner will be waiting."

The old man swore. No gil? So the whole kidnap had been a waste of time. No. He wouldn't believe that. Jaques look too rich not to have at least something on him. At least enough for another few drinks.

"Just let me go..." Jaques breathed, he was looking slightly comical now that the blood had drained to the top of his head.

The oldman heard footsteps pass the door. This was getting too risky. If anyone walked in he soon found himself in the bottom of a dungeon. He had to get out of there and accept defeat. Tipping his head to Jaques he opened the door and snuck out of his room at the inn.

"You can't just go! What about the summoner?" He heard Jaques shout.

"I'll make sure to tell him you can't make it." The old man cackled, strolling out of the inn and towards the centre of Luca.

**...**

Blaize stared at his home. It wasn't much but it had been good to him. It was a small circular building near to the heart of Luca. It was surrounded by some high buildings, the tallest ones in Spira. He took a red cloth from his pocket and tied it round his neck. From his other pocket he brought out a black eye patch to cover his bad eye. He looked down at his small brown bag and wondered if he had all his things.

"Blaize?" The sound of his name jogged him from his thoughts.

He looked down to see the little orphan boy from next door smiling up while at the same time struggling to carry a heavy lance.

"You forgot your sword, Blaize," the boy said handing it to him.

Blaize took the lance effortlessly. "It's not a sword it's a lance. Look. It's got a long blue wooden frame with a sharp silver tip. This can do much more damage than a sword."

"Whatever you say Blaize," the boy said. "I brought something for you to take on your trip." The boy withdrew a small leather bound book from his short pocket.

"What is that? I have enough books."

"It's a special type of book but instead of reading it you record your own story."

"I'm not keeping a diary, Oto." Blaize said firmly.

The boy's face dropped. "Please? I want to hear about everything in Spira, all the details."

"I told you about Spira, I've travelled before, you know, that's why Bevelle are hiring me as the summoner's guide."

"But you left out all the little bits!" The boy exclaimed. "I want to hear everything!"

**...**

When Blaize got to the middle of Luca he could spot out the summoner and the Bevelle monk straight away. They seem to stand out in their thick clothes on such a hot day. As he got closer he realised how young the summoner was. Blaize inhaled deeply. He hated young people, the only one he tolerated was himself and Oto. He approached them carefully before bowing to them.

"So you are Blaize?" Darnell said staring at Blaize's wild firery hair and black eyepatch.

"Yes, sir, are the others here yet? The female warrior and the ex-crusader?" Blaize said, he hated waiting.

"No, I'm afraid not, Jaques should have been here ages ago. Maybe he's been held up. I wonder if the offer of 50,000 gil was not enough?" Darnell said worriedly.

The old man who had been walking pass at the exact moment stopped in his tracks. He stared at the summoner and the monk. Those must of been the ones waiting for the man he had tied up in his room. 50,000 gil? That would buy a lot more than few drinks. He smiled to himself as an idea came to him.

"Must not keep the summoner waiting," he said giggling to himself.

He slicked his eyebrows down and straightened his back before strolling straight towards the them.

"Jaques, at your service!" He said bowing and casting a nasty look at Blaize.

"You are very late sir but at least you are here, I was expecting someone a bit... er younger." Darnell said looking the scruffy old man up and down. The old man had barely any black hair left, most of it was a dark pearly grey.

"I'm in great shape!" The old man said sharply.

"I also feel like I've seen your face before..." Darnell pondered. The old man stiffened but when Darnell admitted that maybe he had made a mistake he relaxed.

Blaize's noticed this and frowned. He did not trust 'Jaques' at all.

Zaon barely noticed the arrival of the two men, he just carried on slurping down his third ice scream.

**...**

"Suckers," Shenin laughed as she reached the safety of the bustling Luca crowds.

It had been well over ten minutes since she had retrieved her weapon from Majorium, but now she needed to get out of Luca before they caught up with her. She wouldn't be able to talk her way out of that one. She turned her head to the direction of Djose Highroad and sighed, she would have to hustle some gil first so she could hire a chocobo. She didn't fancy walking it all that way.

Standing by the stream she spied a strange arrangement of people by the fountain. One was a young boy, 17 years old at the most. He looked at odds with his extravagant summoner outfit. Standing next him was a monk with dark brown skin, his head shining and sweating in the smouldering heat, opposite him were two men, one older one younger, the young one looked like his head was on fire but it was just his flamey hair. He was hansom in a sort of mysterious way. She was about to take a closer look when she saw a familiar figure a few feet away from her. It was Majorium and he didn't look happy.

"Shit!" She said covering her face, she had better score that gil quickly.

She made her way over to the funny group standing by the fountain and immediately the monk bowed to her.

"Ah, I'm so glad you could make it, we were worried you weren't going to come. We had best leave immediately. I must say I am a bit surprised as they never mentioned how young you would be or that you were of the Guado" The monk said.

"What?" Shenin said staring at him.

"This is the warrior?" Blazie said staring down at the tomboy guado next to him.

"You're leaving Luca?" Shenin said as Majorium spotted her and made a cut throat gesture.

"Yes," Darnell said raising his eyebrows, the high monks of Bevelle had certainly assembled up a weird bunch of guardians.

He looked down at Zaon and made a quick internal prayer to Yevon that he would be safe in their hands.

"Well let's not waste any more time, you're paying right?" Shenin said quickly, she would rather go with them than die at Majorium's hands, she would explain she wasn't this warrior person later.

"Of course," Darnell said. "Follow me, we'll head to the docks."

**...**

When they arrived at the docks Darnell paid the captain and watched the Zaon's companions climb onto the ship. He felt a tear come to his eye but he wiped it away quickly. He couldn't let Zaon see how upset he was. Even though the kid was as annoying as hell he would still miss him.

"Goodbye Darnell," Zaon said.

"Goodbye Zaon..." he was unsure of what to say, unsure of what words would convey what he felt. "You've been a great kid even with all your pranks,"

"Pranks?" Zaon said with a mischievous air.

"Yes, like the time when I had to give an important speech to the maesters and you had painted a male's privates on my head while I slept."

"Oh yeah, that was awesome," Zaon said laughing. "Or the time I told you that a prisoner had escaped from the dungeon sending the whole of Bevelle into a chaotic frenzy."

"Yes..."

"Or the time I put lots of echo herbs in your tea so that you had to keep going toilet."

"Uh huh," Darnell said frowning.

"Or the time—

"Yes we get the idea, Zaon," Darnell snapped. "Now get on the boat before it leaves. Be good to your new guardians. No practical jokes."

"Yes sir!" Zaon said climbing onto the ship.

Darnell just waved until he could no longer see the ship. He sighed. Now he could let the tears fall. He would have cried even more if he realised he had sent the summoner away with a thief and a drunk instead of a warrior and a crusader.


End file.
